1. Field of the Invention
The instant invention relates to articles for cooling beverages. More particularly, the instant invention relates to an article for cooling beverages wherein the article is configured as a container of plastic or similar material which has a phase-change medium, such as water, therein. The phase-change medium is frozen in the container prior to placing the container in a beverage. As it consumes heat from the beverage, the phase-change medium liquifies but is confined to the container.
2. Prior Art and Technical Considerations
Many beverages are preferably consumed when cold and in order to keep beverages cold people generally freeze water into ice and deposit the ice in their beverages. In order to cool a beverage, the ice consumes heat from the beverage, changing phase and becoming water which dilutes the beverage and frequently spoils its taste. Moreover, ice floats on the surface of the beverage. Consequently, if one is drinking a beverage from a glass or cup the beverage is continually consumed from the surface adjacent the ice cubes and, therefore, is continually diluted. In addition, the ice cubes tend to come into contact with the drinker's lips which is not necessarily a pleasant sensation. Moreover, the flavor of many drinks sinks to the bottom while the drink is being consumed or cooled. If a straw is used, then the concentrated flavoring is drawn off first without necessarily being cooled by the ice. Accordingly, conventional ice cubes are a rather unsatisfactory proposition all the way around.
The problem of cooling drinks with ice cubes has been with us for a considerable period of time and until the instant invention has not had a satisfactory solution. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 490,902 issued in 1893 to Galbreath discloses a metal container which floats on the surface of a beverage and is removed after the beverage is cooled. U.S. Pat. No. 1,944,726 discloses a cooling device with a handle that is inserted into a beverage and is used to stir the beverage as it is cooled by the device. U.S. Pat. No. 4,325,230, which issued Apr. 20, 1982, discloses cubes which float on the surface on a beverage and include indicators which show when the ice is melted. There are numerous other patents directed to this concept, but none cover devices which are widely used or have achieved any degree of commercial success. The aforementioned problems with conventional ice cubes continue.